A $1,839,249 contract for three street improvement projects was awarded May 10 to the Clarkston-based Cadillac Asphalt by the Oxford Village Council.
The overall project ? which will be financed via the sale of capital improvement bonds and using funds from the water/sewer budget ? encompasses South Glaspie Street, Pontiac Street, and constructing a new portion of Mill Street between Stanton and Broadway streets.
Manager Joe Young said construction on all three projects is expected to begin in June and last for a 12-week period subject to weather conditions.
Reconstructing South Glaspie Street between the DPW garage and East Burdick Street will be the kickoff project. Plans call for constructing full curb and gutter plus sidewalks and pathways on both sides of the street. The asphalt road will be resurfaced.
Beneath the road the storm sewer will be enlarged from 24 inches to 48 inches while the water main will be increased to a consistent 16 inches from the water plant to East Burdick.
At the intersection of Glaspie and East Burdick/Lakeville, the road surface in all four directions will be changed from asphalt to concrete in order to better withstand ‘stopping and turning? vehicles which ‘tear up the asphalt,? Young said.
A left-turn lane will be added to the northbound side of Glaspie for traffic wishing to turn east onto Lakeville Road. The addition will mean all four directions will now have left-turn lanes.
Installing a traffic signal at the intersection ? currently regulated by a four-way stop ? is also included in the bid, according to Young.
The signal will be fully operational with the standard red-yellow-green cycle between 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., when the traffic volume is at its highest.
Between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m., the signal would switch to a flashing red, four-way stop, Young said.
The second street project will involve the construction of a new portion of Mill Street between Stanton and Broadway streets.
In March 2004, village voters approved a land swap between the village and Oxford Bank which authorized turning the north-south easement known as Edison Alley (a strip of land that divides the bank into eastern and western parcels) over to the financial institution for its private use.
In exchange, a stretch of land along the bank property’s eastern border between Stanton and Broadway streets will be developed by the village into a new portion of Mill Street with full curb and gutter, and sidewalks on the west side. The new portion of Mill Street will begin with two-lanes at Stanton and about half-way through become a three-lane street ending at Broadway.
The idea is to connect this new portion of Mill Street with Mill Street between East Burdick and Stanton.
Included with the Mill Street project between Stanton and Broadway is the construction of a right-turn lane on Broadway for traffic turning north onto M-24.
Finally, Pontiac Street between the village limits and West Burdick Street will be reconstructed with full curb and gutter on both sides and resurfaced with 8 inches of asphalt.
To improve drainage, the street will be lowered. Currently, the road surface is higher than adjacent sidewalks resulting in areas with standing water.
The six existing storm water leaching basins along Pontiac will be rebuilt and four new ones added for a total of 10.
A 6-inch underdrain system consisting of more than 4,000 feet of pipe will be connected to all 10 basins and constructed on both sides of the road under the new curbing. This new underdrain system will increase water storage capacity and direct water to the leaching basins.